Today, Marie has commenced on a new path she terms
"Life in Progress," which enables her to pursue a diversity of interests as a
master swimmer, law librarian, trainer, storyboarder and designer of wearable art.
She continues to be a dynamic speaker and prolific writer on such topics as private law
library management, presentations and training. She is a member of Toastmasters International and is active with the American Society for Training Development (ASTD) and in
continuing education for private law librarians. She devotes her "free" time to
various non-profit and civic activities. Always open to new ideas, Marie can be reached
at:
everettandmarie@earthlink.net

A program
will be offered at the ABA TechShow specifically for exhibiting vendors, "60 Tips in
60 Minutes: Maximizing your Techshow Experience." It will be held on April 1, 2000
from 3:30 to 4:30 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Chicago at the ABA Techshow Y2K:
Future Technology. Today! The website is http://www.techshow.com.

Exhibit halls exude excitement--a little like a bazaar.
People come with great expectations and often comment "This is where the action
is." Conference exhibits give buyers instant access to new companies, new people, new
technologies, new ideas and new trends. Little wonder that exhibit halls are exciting
places.

If you decide to exhibit your professional services or are asked to manage an
exhibit booth for your professional association, you should know that it is a top-ranking
marketing opportunity. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) found that
"..human interaction is what exhibitions deliver more cost-effectively than any other
marketing medium." (see Center for Exhibition
Industry Research )

But professionals are often weak on marketing. How do you know where to start?

Before making a decision - Create a plan on paper

Identify your marketing purpose(s)
Sell products, services or solutions
Introduce new lines of products or services
Get leads
Establish a presence
Educate potential clientele
Gain visibility
Build an image
There are often secondary opportunities at a conference--bartering, creating strategic
alliances or forming partnerships. Work both the booth and the show.

Pick the appropriate conference for your purpose(s):Does your target market attend?
Do you have local members for staffing?
Do your competitors exhibit at this conference?
Do purchase decision makers and influencers attend?
You can do everything else perfect but if you pick the wrong venue, it will be a
"no-go" similar to marketing pension plans to high school students.

Translate your purpose(s) into specific exhibit objective(s):
Express your objectives in specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time- bound)
terms. "Get 30 leads for our placement service and follow them up within ten days
after the exhibit." Do your homework to calculate achievable and realistic goals.
Find out the expected number of attendees. How big is your booth staff? How many hours is
the exhibit center open? What is the average time per contact? How much follow-up time
will be involved ? Relationship objectives, such as establishing a presence, are difficult
to quantify. Try expressing the objective in terms of organizational relationships:
Get an invitation to speak at a future conference or meeting
Solicit articles for the organization's professional journal
Become on a first name basis with the conference "movers and shakers"

Design the booth and its accessories to realize your objective(s). Tools are
primarily visual:
Brochures, banners, pictures, colors, demonstrations and equipment
Location and size of the booth
Traffic pattern in the exhibit hall
Occupants of the adjacent booths
Booth amenities (rug, curtains, skirting, tables, waste bins, electrical outlets)
Don't forget to find out the Exhibition rules, policies and schedule (when you can set up
and take down, exhibit hours).

Create an evaluation form during the planning stage (when you will be
more objective than after the exhibit) to determine how well you performed in relation to
your goals. Make the form easy for your booth staff to use and enter comments.

During - People deliver your plan not the booth. (The booth is your portal.)

Staff your booth with people who know how to advance your marketing
objective(s). This means training, ideally with role playing. The staff needs to
be knowledgeable on all aspects of your organization and its services, have strong
presentation skills and a positive attitude.

Allow ample time and staff for set-up.
Have the booth specifications in writing and a simple drawing of the layout.
Bring a survival kit, with things you may need for set-up and operation: stapler, pins,
tape (masking, duct, scotch, double-sided) scissors, pens, extension cords plus the name
and how to contact exhibit personnel, often not the host association but an independent
contractor.

Create a script. Staffing a booth has many similarities to an elevator
speech. (LLRX Guide #18) You have about 6 seconds to get your audience's attention and 30
seconds to get your idea across. Keep explanations of product and service benefits simple.
Listen to the visitors, a form of marketing research. Get something from each visitor -
card, name, company, or comment. Give out your give-aways only after you get something in
return. It lessens the value (and increases the costs) to indiscriminately give away your
freebies to anyone walking by. Determine how to quickly find out whether a visitor
qualifies for your service and how to graciously terminate the interaction if they do not.

Make a realistic staffing schedule. Staffing a booth is demanding work.
Do not expect people to do it for hours at a time without a break. Try to avoid leaving
the booth unattended. It sends a negative message. Aim to staff in pairs.

Consider not allowing chairs in the booth so that your staff will not be tempted
to sit during slack times. A sitting exhibitor projects a tired message. If you
have chairs, use them to let your visitors sit.

Select promotional items that are related to your products or service.
If the connection is not obvious, develop a theme to make the connection. Make it easy for
the customer to try your service the first time. Offer a free trial.

After - Finalize your plan

Follow-up leads, offers to speak, consult or other promises.

Contact the exhibit committee of the host organization. Share what was
good and what could be improved in terms of their support. Bargain for a better deal in
the future.

Evaluate the experience (use the form you developed during the planning
stage). Rate your boothmanship. Make notes for future improvements.

Calculate the return on your investment. A successful booth pays for
itself.

Publicize the results of each exhibition to your organization.

Exhibiting at a professional conference differs from trade shows in that the mix of
products and services leans more toward services but otherwise the principles are similar.
Professionals can also expect to find many similarities between presenting from a booth
and presenting from a platform:

Preparation is vital
Identify your target audience
Have clear objectives
Talk about benefits (what's in it for the audience)
Keep your demonstrations simple and to the point
Have a secure opening and closing
Modify the physical space to support your objectives
Connect with the audience
Evaluate your performance
Expect to have learning experiences.